The Top 25 Android Games

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25 must-have games for any Android-owning gamer.

By Justin Davis

Gone are the days when Android-owning gamers had to stare longingly at the App Store, looking at all the awesome, unplayable games on display. The Google Play store is full of incredible gaming experiences of all types.

Gamers looking for deep, rewarding experiences can dive in to games like Horn and Galaxy on Fire. Puzzle fans can load up their device with games like Bad Piggies and Triple Town. And of course there are plenty of games that smartly take full advantage of touch screens like The Room and Flight Control.

It’s never been a better time to be an Android gamer. That’s why, just like our Top 25 iOS list, this Android Top 25 contains no console or PC ports (Plants vs. Zombies is the lone exception). We wanted to spotlight as many original, built-for-mobile games as we could. The Android ports of Grand Theft Auto and plenty of other AAA games are top-notch, but this space is dedicated to original mobile hits.

Chaos Rings II is a great example of the potential of 3D RPGs on mobile. While most of the platform’s best RPGs are top-down and sprite-based the Chaos Rings franchise is a reminder that a great 3D RPG can work just as well on touch screens. This sequel managed to improve upon every aspect of its predecessor, to boot. Chaos Rings II offers dozens of hours of gameplay, an original and creative battle system and some of the most beautiful environments of any mobile game to date. Chaos Rings II doesn’t have the world’s best story and it may be a little pricey, but it’s worth every penny for RPG fans. It's a reminder that Square Enix still has a few tricks up its sleeve. – Andrew Goldfarb

Galaxy on Fire 2 is such a huge, full-featured and accomplished space sandbox game that it almost doesn’t feel possible that you’re playing it on your phone or tablet. You can follow a deep and intriguing 10+ hour story that will eventually let you (what else?) save the galaxy, or you can just cruise around trading resources or fighting pirates, amassing an economic empire. It certainly helps that Fishlabs’ massive virtual sci-fi world is drop-dead gorgeous. - Justin Davis

SpellTower smartly combines Boggle-style word forming with more traditional puzzle concepts found in games like Tetris. As more lines of letters rise from the bottom of the screen, you must eliminate them as fast as possible by drawing lines to spell words. The core gameplay is clever and feels great, but it’s SpellTower’s impeccable style and wealth of play modes that make it the best word puzzler on the platform. - Justin Davis

Dungeon Raid is the most addictive puzzle + RPG mash-up since the original Puzzle Quest dropped in 2007. The concept is deceptively simple, as it always is - just draw lines to connect swords, shields, potions and more to earn money, gold and attack power for your hero. The twist is that you’re building a new hero with new special powers and equipment every time you play, almost like a roguelike. Once you inevitably die, the urge to start again fresh is almost overwhelming. - Justin Davis

Knights of Pen and Paper makes old RPG ideas feel fresh again by presenting gamers a game within a game. Your group of adventurers must complete turn-based battles against wonderfully pixelated foes to rescue maidens, liberated towns under siege, retrieve artifacts for wizards, and plenty more. But the twist is that you’re actually playing as a group of real world kids, sitting around a table tossing dice. You can swap out GMs for an easier or harder campaign, order pizza to give your party a stats buff, and even recruit the pizza guy to join your party! It’s cute and clever and the core RPG mechanics still feel plenty rewarding, to boot. - Justin Davis